Friend of EH-Net, Barry Cooper, is someone I know has been around the block in many regards. Hopefully, his experiences can help you. If you have any additional questions for Mr. Cooper, please feel free to add them here in the forums. But just don't ask about punting in Cambridge.

We describe ourselves as The Ethical Hacker Network, a free online magazine for security professionals. With that in mind, we try to have a wide range of topics of varying difficulty, all with an aim towards helping the readers on their chosen career paths. As the Editor-in-Chief of EH-Net, I am constantly asked online and off about the best way to get into the field, how to get a job and most often about the value of certifications, experience and education. Long-time colleague, Barry Cooper of FishNet Security Training & iSWAT 2012 in September, not only has an abundance of each but also works in the security and training fields. So who better to offer up some advice?

For a little background information, Mr. Cooper has over 25 years of experience in information technology and security designing, developing, and delivering technical training courses for over 15 years. He has significant expertise in systems analysis, computer programming, information security, instructional design, and network engineering. Mr. Cooper is responsible for the vision, operation, and management of the FishNet Security Training organization. In addition, he manages vendor, security, and distance learning product development. Under his guidance, FishNet Security's training LOB now include 10 national training centers and offers well over 100 courses. He also developed FishNet Security's eLearning capability and remote live training delivery systems from the ground up. Barry has attained over 70 high-level security and technical certifications including CISSP, JNCI, CCSI and CTT+.

And we are lucky to have him answer some questions and offer some great advice.

Did you take a GIAC exam in Lafayette? How many testing centers are located in airport hangers? Trains and planes shaking the rickety building are really nice additions to the testing atmosphere...

I agree that persistence and an innate drive are key components to a successful infosec career. You might want to elaborate on people/soft skills as well. It seems like it's relatively rare to find a position that allows someone to exist in a technical bubble.